The Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

We did not even have time to bring to an end the praises of the Most Holy Theotokos for the month of August — a month that is made radiant, as we all know, by her Dormition, but also by the deposition of her honorable zoni — and already we are beginning new celebrations on the occasion of the feast of her Nativity. But our Church never ceases to celebrate the Mother of the Lord, indeed on a daily basis, since all her hymns are crowned by the troparia dedicated to her, the well-known Theotokia, just as all the great feasts of our saints have as their standard-bearers the canons dedicated to her. And rightly so: the Panagia is a type of the Church, because just as she gave birth to the Son of God as man, so the Church gives birth to Christ in the hearts of human beings. Therefore, not only on the feasts of the Mother of God, but at all feasts and always, the Panagia has the first place. What, however, does today’s feast specifically set before us, so that it is distinguished from the other feasts of the Panagia?

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: September 8

 

 

The Month of September

8th Day

9. What Parents Should Do if They Desire Their Children to Grow Up as Good and Godly People

(From a homily on the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. Menaion, September 8)

All parents, perhaps we may say, even without exception, naturally desire that their children should grow up to be good and godly people. Even the most wicked person, we see, punishes his child when the child has done something wrong, thereby showing that he too, although he himself is wicked, nevertheless wants his son to grow up good and not evil. Thus, the desire to see one’s children good is, one may say, the desire of all parents. But we would add only this, which we do not think is superfluous: although the desire is the same among all, its fulfillment is not the same for everyone. With some, the children turn out good, while with others they are wicked. And what follows from this? In our opinion, it is that it is not enough for parents merely to desire that their children should turn out good; they must also know what they, as parents, need to do so that their desire may become a reality. What, then, must they do?

The Panagia is the Dawn From Which the Sun of Justice Emerged to Illumine the World

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

The Panagia, as we say in the Apolytikion of the feast of her Nativity, was deemed worthy by God to give birth to justice, which is Christ Himself. It says: “For from her has arisen the Sun of justice, Christ our God.” Christ is the Sun of justice, and the Panagia is the dawn from which Christ emerged and illumined the whole world. Christ is characterized as the “Sun of justice” because He shone upon the world and restored it to its former glory, its original beauty, delivering it from the dark gloom of ignorance.

Usually, we understand justice as the giving back of what is due, as the correction of the injustice that occurs in the world for various reasons, and as the administration of justice. But the question that arises is how one determines what is just and what justice is, because each person sees the matter from a different subjective perspective and understands justice in a different way.

Archimandrite Chrysostomos Tavoulareas, Longtime Abbot of the Monastery of Abba Gerasimos of the Jordan, Has Reposed

Archimandrite Chrysostomos Tavoulareas, the longtime abbot of the Holy Monastery of Abba Gerasimos of the Jordan near Jericho, reposed in the Lord on Sunday, September 6, 2026, in Athens, following a serious illness. The Patriarchate of Jerusalem announced his repose with deepest sorrow, describing him as a devoted member of the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre who faithfully served the Church of Zion and the All-Holy Shrines for decades.

Elder Chrysostomos, who was originally from Mani, became closely identified with the Monastery of Abba Gerasimos, where he served for more than four decades. The monastery stands in the heart of the wilderness, beside the Jordan River, in the region where Saint John the Forerunner baptized Jesus Christ. In 1974, while serving as a deacon in Bethlehem, he came to the then-abandoned monastery as both a visitor and, ultimately, its permanent guardian. He had become involved in an incident with the Latins, and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem had decided to send him for six months to the Monastery of Saint Savvas as a disciplinary measure. At that time, an elderly abbot suggested to the 92-year-old Patriarch Benedict that he instead be sent to the Monastery of Saint Gerasimos, which stood abandoned in an extremely dangerous area and to which no one wanted to go.

The Beginning of Wisdom Is the Fear of the Lord (A Poem by Venerable Daniel of Katounakia)

The Beginning of Wisdom Is the Fear of the Lord

A Poem by Hieromonk Daniel the Danielite of Katounakia

(1846–1929)

Whoever acquires the fear of God within himself,
Such a one will become capable of conquering all things.

For the fear of God grants sobriety;
It grants courage, understanding, and a moderate mind.

It grants courage and great-heartedness,
And, on the contrary, before no one does he feel cowardice.

For he hopes in God, and calls upon Him,
And from every danger he is always delivered.

In afflictions and temptations he rejoices with great joy;
He never grows indignant, nor does he ever become troubled.

For he knows the blessings that endurance
Will bring forth through the temptations he patiently bears.

They are heavenly blessings, blessed life,
And joy filled with all gladness, which is eternal.

Holy Martyr Sozon in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. Saint Sozon, coming from Lycaonia, was a shepherd of sheep. When he was deemed worthy to be baptized and to become a Christian, he entered a pagan temple in which there was a statue made of gold and silver. He broke off the statue’s right hand, sold it, and distributed the money he received to the poor. The ruler of the region began punishing many whom he suspected of having committed this deed; therefore, the Saint came forward and revealed that he himself was responsible for what had happened. Immediately they beat him severely, put iron shoes on him, and forced him to run. Again they began to beat him so severely that all the bones of his body were broken, and in this way he surrendered his spirit to God.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: September 7

The Month of September

Day 7

8. What Those Who Wish to Build a Church but Do Not Have Sufficient Means to Build It Should Do

(From the Life of Saint John, Archbishop of Novgorod. September 7, Menaion)

In our Orthodox fatherland, we continually encounter people collecting donations for the construction of churches of God. What thought does meeting such people bring to mind? First, that our Russian land still needs churches of God; and secondly, that even if it needs them, many among us have no means at all to build the churches that are needed, or some have insufficient means. What, then, is to be done? What should those do who, although they do not have the means to build a church in their locality, nevertheless ardently desire to have a church there? How are they to obtain the means to construct a church? Where are such means to be found?

In answer to these questions, let us turn to the Life of Saint John, Archbishop of Novgorod. There, among other things, the following is related.

John and his brother Gabriel, desiring to enter the monastic life, resolved to establish a new monastery. First of all, they built a wooden church in honor of the Annunciation of the Mother of God and provided everything necessary for the future inhabitants of the monastery. After this, the thought came to them to establish a stone church at the new monastery as well. They began to build it, and at first everything went well, but when they had reached about the middle of the work, the money ran out, and John and Gabriel became despondent.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: September 6

The Month of September

Day 6

7. The Holy Angels Are Our Invisible Protectors and Guardians

(The Miracle of the Holy Archangel Michael. September 6, Menaion)

Both the word of God and the Holy Fathers teach us to believe that the holy Angels of God, who in God's goodness always care for human beings, do us good, care for us, remain near us, and, as those who stand ever wakefully before the face of God, attending to God's all-good providence for mankind, always protect us at the prompting of the divine will. Thus, the Prophet David, glorifying the protection of God manifested over him, says: “The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them” (Ps. 33:8), that is, from the schemes devised against them by evil men. And elsewhere: “No evil shall befall you, and no plague shall come near your dwelling; for He shall command His Angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways” (Ps. 90:10–11). Saint Basil the Great teaches: “As the walls of a city, surrounding the city on every side, repel enemy attacks from every direction, so the Angel serves as a wall before you, guards you from behind, and on both sides leaves nothing unprotected” (Works of Basil the Great, Part 5, Homily on Ps. 33:8). Thus, from all these words we become convinced that the Angels are our invisible protectors, guardians, benefactors, and keepers. But having been convinced by these words, can we also become convinced of this truth by an example? We can. And here is such a proof.

Homily for the Fourteenth Sunday of Matthew (St. Cleopa of Sihastria)

Homily for the Fourteenth Sunday of Matthew, 
or Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost

On the Wedding Garment

“Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?” (Matthew 22:12)

By St. Cleopa of Sihastria

Beloved faithful,

The parable from today's Holy Gospel, besides the other hidden teachings contained within it, also reminds us of the wedding garment with which we were clothed at Holy and Divine Baptism. We will be called to give an account for this garment on the great day of God's judgment at the end of the ages.

We must understand that this garment is Jesus Christ Himself, our Lord and Savior, according to the testimony of the great Apostle Paul, who says: “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ!” (Galatians 3:27). We ask ourselves: What duty do we have, we who at Holy Baptism put on Christ? In answer, we shall say that all of us who have put on Christ have the great duty to cast off the works of darkness and to put on the garments of light (Romans 13:12).

What are the works of darkness, and why are they called by this name? The works of darkness are all evil, fruitless works, that is, the sins which we commit of our own will, about which the divine Apostle Paul tells us (Ephesians 5:11).